Annabelle Leonard had raised three boys and three girls on a cattle and horse ranch in Lincoln County.

Her world revolved around her children and their activities.

When her fifth child was born with cerebral palsy she offered him extra care. Living on a ranch, Thomas “Tommy” Leonard had chores and was surprisingly very strong even though his right fist was balled up.

“We grew up going to county fairs and rodeos,” said Annabelle’s youngest daughter, Roxi Graham, 55.

In high school, Tommy was often the equipment manager or team statistician. He traveled with the football and basketball teams to games. He was engrossed in sports, Graham said.

Kirk Mitchell is a general assignment reporter at The Denver Post who focuses on criminal justice stories. He began working at the newspaper in 1998, after writing for newspapers in Mesa, Ariz., and Twin Falls, Idaho, and The Associated Press in Salt Lake City. Mitchell first started writing the Cold Case blog in Fall 2007, in part because Colorado has more than 1,400 unsolved homicides.